Honduran president alleges ‘coup attempt’ amid faltering election results

Honduran President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday that a coup attempt to overthrow her government is underway and urged the nation to mobilize in defense of democracy, as election results remain unknown two weeks after the poll.

Castro alleged on social media that former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of drug trafficking charges in the US last year and recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, is planning to enter Honduras to declare his party's candidate the winner of the 2025 general election.

"I report with historical responsibility that, based on verified intelligence information, Juan Orlando Hernández, pardoned in the United States, is planning his entry into the country to proclaim the winner of the elections, at a time when an aggression is underway aimed at breaking the constitutional and democratic order through a coup against my government," Castro wrote on US social media company X.

Hernández, who was president from 2018 to 2022, is a former official of the Honduran National Party, of which Nasry Asfura, the presidential candidate and virtual winner of the 2025 elections, is also a member.

As of Tuesday, results show Asfura with a lead of 1.3 million votes, placing him 43,185 votes ahead of Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party with 1,261,849 votes.

Castro's remarks add to allegations of fraud. The ruling LIBRE party has repeatedly dismissed the election results, accusing the National Electoral Council (CNE) of attempting to manipulate the vote count in favor of Asfura and the National Party.

"I call on the people, social movements, collectives, grassroots organizations, party militants, and citizens to urgently and peacefully gather in Tegucigalpa to defend the popular mandate, reject any coup attempt, and make visible to the world that a new coup is being forged here," said Castro.

Hernández denied Castro's claims and said he holds the president and her government responsible for any attempt against his life or that of his family.

"The accusation made by President Xiomara Castro is completely false. There is no plan for my entry into the country, nor any attempt to break the constitutional order. This narrative only seeks to spread panic, distract the public, and create chaos—a tactic well known among the leaders of LIBRE," he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Honduran Armed Forces, Gen. Roosevelt Hernández, said there would be no coup and pledged his loyalty to Castro.

"We guarantee the stability of the government. We will guarantee the continuation of the government until January 27, 2026, to ensure democratic alternation. There will be no coup here," Hernández emphasized.